Learning to Balance
by Avaunt
Summary: After their fateful trip to Italy, Alice and Edward have some issues to work out. Brotherly/Sisterly Fluff. Post New Moon.


Author: Avaunt

Summery: After their fateful trip to Italy, Alice and Edward have some issues to work out. Brotherly/Sisterly Fluff. Post New Moon.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

***************7***************

"Are you alright?" Jasper asked quietly, taking Alice's small hand in his own. Worry and relief flowed from Jasper in waves, as he looked down at his little pixie, strong golden eyes not missing the way her own eyes crinkled in pain. Alice nodded and looked up at him, her smile soft but strong. For a moment, no one else but them existed, the feeling of unconditional love and happiness wrapping them in a cocoon, blocking out the bustle of the busy airport.

Alice squeezed his hand but let go as she stepped back to say hello to her father. Carlisle wrapped his arms around her tightly, engulfing her completely as he kissed the top of her head softly. Alice took a deep breath, allowing the comforting, unique smell that was a combination of dusty old books and hospital antiseptic to fill her senses and let her body relax even more into the embrace.

"I've missed you." Carlisle whispered into her ear, his voice soft.

"It's good to be home." Alice whispered back, for a moment she allowed herself to not be strong and be comforted by a father's loving embrace. Carlisle gave her one more bone-breaking squeeze before letting her go, his place quickly taken by Esme.

Emmett was next, and with a laugh he picked up his sister and twirled her around. Alice laughed in glee, her eyes sparkling as she swatted his shoulder. "Emmett! Put me down!"

"I don't think so pretty lady!" Emmett laughed. "I just got you back. You're not leaving my sight for a while." But despite his words he put her down and tweaked her nose. "No more disappearing acts. I actually had to go shopping with Rose." He admonished with a wink, visibly shuddering at the end. Alice rolled her eyes and gave Emmett a quick squeeze and a peck on the check.

Rosalie hovered over Emmett's shoulder; her hand's nervously clasped in front of her. She looked over at Alice and gave her a small nervous smile. Then, faster then humanly possible, Alice found herself crushed against her sister's chest. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I never meant for any of this to happen, I am so sorry. Thank god you're all alright." Rosalie's words came out in a rush, desperation and fear of rejection adding fuel to the fire.

"It's alright Rose." Alice murmured with certainly. And it really was, after all, she had seen it. "It's all going to be ok."

Rose looked down at her, uncertainty still reflecting in golden eyes. "You forgive me?"

"Of course I do." Alice exclaimed, laughing slightly as she gave her sister a peck on the check. "We're family!" She looked over at Edward, "But I'm not the only one you should ask."

Rosalie followed her gaze, and her smile thinned out into a hard line. "I know." She nodded, but her golden eyes still grew hard. "But I'm not the only one who has some apologizing to do."

Alice could only nod, and hope that Edward didn't hear her own thoughts. The anger and hurt that she had managed to hid all the way from Italy had bubbled back, and it took all the self-control that Alice had to not walk over there and smack Edward in the face. She wasn't naturally an angry soul, preferring to focus of the positive aspects of her life. This feeling on anger, especially directed at someone she loved so much, made her feel dirty and ashamed.

Immediately Jasper was there, putting a gentle hand on her back. She signed and leaned back into his touch, the mere contact sending shivers down her spine. Instantly, she felt calmer. Not because of his gift (Jasper knew that she didn't like being forcefully calmed down) but because of her husband's mere presence. Her small hand found his again, and she grasped the much larger hand tightly, this time with no intention of letting go. Apart from Jasper she had felt constantly uncertain and off balance, but now that he was here, beside her, it was as if the world had immediately shifted back into focus.

He leaned way down to whisper into her ear. "I'm not going anywhere." His deep baritone voice, with a slight southern twang, caused her skin to tingle. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight for a long time."

Alice nodded and smiled, her eyes sparkling. She was home.

********************7*******************

Later that night Alice leaned against the third floor window ledge, letting her feet dangle over the edge. She sighed, finally letting the last bit of anxiety flee her body as she watched the sun slowly set. For a being that thrived in the dark, Alice had always oddly missed the sun when it disappeared beneath the horizon and her favorite part of the day was always watching it come back up.

She took a deep breath in, allowing the scent of fresh pine; damp earthy leaves and crisp mountain air flow through her. Her body tingled, and Alice sighed again. It had been a long couple of days. The moment the Cullen's had reached Forks, Edward had rushed off with Bella, and the rest of the family had just settled in Carlisle office, reminiscing over old stories. No one said it, but everyone was clearly glad that the family was back together again.

Alice frowned. Well, almost everyone was back together again.

Edward was still not back from Bella's, which wasn't really surprising of the love-struck vampire. Alice shivered again, her picture perfect memory replaying vision after vision of Edward's suicide. She closed her eyes as the images continued to assault her mind, her hands unconsciously gripping the wooden ledge tightly, breaking it into sawdust. She could feel her body tense and she fought back the almost overwhelming panic and fear the images produced. They weren't real and never will be. She had changed the future. She had changed the future!

Down below, in the lounge, Jasper frowned and looked up. He could feel his pixie's anxiety from here, but after more then a half a century with the brown-haired vampire he knew better then to rush up stairs. As much as he wished he could take away her pain, Alice needed to deal with it sooner rather then later. He felt a flash of anger directed at his brother Edward, for indirectly causing the normally happy-go-lucky vampire so much pain.

He growled and began to pace, unsure how to unleash his pent up energy. Suddenly his sharp hearing picked up the sound of crunching gravel and Jasper knew that Edward was finally home. Sure enough, two seconds later the door opened and the brown-haired vampire strolled in, his blue shirt crinkled.

He looked up at Jasper and nodded briefly, before heading upstairs. Edward only reached the second step when he stopped and looked back at Jasper with a frown on his face.

"Why are you worried about Alice?"

Jasper growled, and stalked away, careful to fill his mind with only his angry thoughts. Edward was in front of him in a second, crossing his arms and frowning.

"Why are you made at me for Alice's sake?"

Jasper eyes narrowed and this time he did not bother masking his thoughts. _Stay out of my head! _Edward had the decency to lower his eyes in embarrassment. He knew that Jasper liked his privacy, and like Edward did for the rest of the family, he tried to stay out of his head.

Jasper shook his head. "We love you Edward. But we're not very pleased with you." Simple and straightforward, Jasper said his speech before walking away. Jasper was never the one who filled a room with conversation. But when he did talk, he always had something important to say. "Maybe you should go talk with Alice." He threw over his shoulder before leaving the younger vampire's sight entirely.

Edward shook his head, and sought Alice's mind, his frown deepening even more. Her mind moved from thought to thought rapidly, as if she was in a vision. It moved to fast for Edward to completely read, but he did get faint impressions of fear and anger. His eyebrows furrowed. Anger was very unlike Alice, who normally tried to keep her thoughts upbeat and happy for Edward's sake.

Without waiting a second longer, he ran upstairs and saw Alice leaning against the window still, her small hands clenched into fists.

"Alice?" He said softly, unsure how to approach the silent silhouette in front of him. He hadn't seen Alice like this in years, and to be honest, he was unsure how to approach.

Alice started slightly at the sound of his voice, but refused to turn around, so angry now that she could not help but let the emotion bleed into her thoughts. She had kept it from him too long, and now it was all about to burst open. Alice bit her lip, and if she could have, she would have burst into tears right there.

Edward frowned at her silence, and reached for her mind. What he read made his mouth open in shock. "You mad at me?!"

Alice whirled around, her eyes snapping with up pent fury. "Of course I'm fucking mad at you!" It wasn't the fury in her voice that made Edward feel like he had been punched in the stomach; it was the overwhelming hurt underneath. He reached for her mind again, wondering what was so desperately wrong with his little sister.

"Don't read my mind Edward!" Alice snapped out. "At least do me the courtesy of asking what's wrong."

Edward pulled back hastily, and gingerly walked over and sat beside Alice, letting his feet hang over in the same manner. He looked over at Alice, who had returned to staring at the horizon.

"Alice." Edward started hesitantly, "what's wrong?"

Alice closed her eyes and sighed. "Bella."

Immediately Edward felt rage and betray begin to bubble up, unable to believe what he was hearing. "What? But…"

"Would you please listen to me?" Alice interrupted. Her next words came out in a rush. "I love Bella, she's one of the first true friends I have ever had. And I love that you love her. I have never been so happy for you Edward." Here she stopped, trying to find the right combination of words before finally just giving up. "But god damn it Edward, I'm your sister and I still love you too!"

Edward looked at his sister, dumbfounded. "Are you… are you jealous?" He asked incredulously.

If it were at any other moment, Alice would have laughed at the look of utter confusion on his face. "No…yes…no." She babbled, waving her hands in the air as if she could sign her words. "You didn't come to me." Her voice grew very soft, and Edward had no trouble hearing the hurt the colored her words. "You believed Bella had died, and you didn't come to me!"

Alice looked at Edward, her eyes crinkled in pain. The moment Alice and Jasper had finally found the Cullen's Edward and her had hit it off brilliantly. Despite the fact that she was with Jasper, the two of them were almost inseparable. He used to tell her everything and vice versa.

Edward stared at the small pixie-like vampire and then quickly looked down in guilt. But the moment that he had heard about Bella's supposed demise, he had felt like the world had suddenly ended. All he could feel was the sharp pain in his chest and he had just wanted it all to end, he had just wanted to be with his Bella. Surely, Alice could realize that?

Alice looked at Edward. "I saw you die." Here, her voice cracked and her body shook with dry sobs. "I saw you die over and over again. In every stupid vision you didn't give us one thought, you were just like: 'Hey, I think I'll step into the sun today, or Hey, today might be a good time to piss off some powerful, old, scary looking vampires." Her words came out in a rush, the dam finally broken. "I mean, it's not like you saw me go off the deep end when I thought Jasper had died. But no, you just couldn't spare us, your family, a second thought…"

Her rant was suddenly cut off as Edward reached out with inhuman speed and crushed Alice to his chest. Alice closed her eyes and sobbed dry tears, clutching her brother's shirt like a lifeline. "I saw you die." She murmured heartbrokenly into his chest. He kissed the top of her head softly.

"I'm so sorry Alice." He whispered tenderly.

The two stayed like that for a moment, as Alice continued to shake. Edward rubbed her back soothingly, his own face taunt with pain. Never in a million years did he want to cause Alice this much pain. He was her older brother, and as such was furiously over-protective. The fact that he had been the one to break her heart, however unintentional it had been, made him sick to this stomach. He kissed her forehead softly, as Alice pulled back.

"I know this is new for you Edward." Alice said, her captivating golden eyes burning into Edward's own. "But you have to learn to _balance._ The rest of us still have some time for family and so do you. You really haven't been around lately Ed."

Edward opened his mouth to object, but Alice quickly cut him off. "I know what Bella mean's to you! I just mean that you don't have to give up everything for her. I didn't for Jasper, and neither did Emmett or Rosalie." Here, Alice lowered her eyes. _I guess I just wish you didn't feel like I was expendable_.

Edward reached out and grabbed Alice's chin, his long, almost delicate finger's forcing Alice's eyes to meet his own. "You are not expendable Alice Cullen. You will always be my wacky, optimistic little sister." His firm tone did not allow any room for arguments. "I am so sorry I made you feel like you were."

Edward's spirits lifted as he saw the hurt in Alice's eyes slowly begin to fade away. Alice grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, before letting go. "Does that mean I get my old brother back?" Her tone was only slightly kidding.

The telepath nodded; knowing his behavior over the last few months had definitely been less then expletory. "I'm sorry Alice. Will you please except my apology?"

Alice searched his face, and her lips twitched. "I guess." She then laughed, the sound once again light and happy and swatted his arm. "You know I can never say no when you give me that poor, kicked puppy look."

Edward smirked; glad to be back on familiar territory. "Why do you think I use it?"

Alice winked. "I've taught you well, grasshopper."

Edward groaned. "I told Carlisle that a marathon of Karate Kid was a bad idea!"

Alice just laughed again, and jumped up to her feet gracefully. "I'd better go see Jasper. I see that he is going stir crazy downstairs." She smiled fondly as she thought of her southern gentlemen. The small pixie leaned over and kissed the top of Edward's head softy. "I'm glad that you are back, brother."

Edward smiled softy, as he watched his little sister walk back down the stairs. "Me too Alice, me too."


End file.
